Davenport couch



March 8, 1938.

J.` J. GERvAslo ET Al. 2,110,831

DAVENPORT COUCH Filed DSG. 14, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet l n wm l ,y im f. umm #E j /M I l l March 8, 1938. .1. J. GERvAlo ET A1.

DAVENPORT COUCH Filed Dec. 14, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet` 2 fzwfons/ March 8,1938.

J. J. GERvAslo ET AL.

DAVENPORT' COUCH Filed DSG. 14. 1936 5 sheets-sheet s March 8, 1938. J..1. GERvAslo ET A1. 2,110,831

DAVENPORT coucH n Filed Dec. 14, 195e 5 sheets-sheet 4 March 8, 1938..1. J. GERvAslo ET AL 2,110,831

DAVENPORT @OUCH Filed Dec. 14, 195e 5 sheets-sheet 5 Patented Mar. 8,1938 UNITED STATES orgie 2,110,831 DAVENPORT coUcH Application December14, 1936, Serial No. 115,773

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to that type of 'davenport bed or couch inwhich there is a back, and has for its object to produce a simple andnovel construction in which the back is shifted so as to lie entirelybelow what may be termed the top of the bed when the couch is opened upand ready for use as a bed.

A further object of the present invention is to produce a simple andnovel couch of the davenport type in which there is a sturdy,substantial back serving as such when the couch is closed and adapted toserve as a mattress-supporting member when the couch is opened.

A further object of the presentl invention is to produce a simple andnovel couch or bed of the `davenport type in which the relative openingand closing movements between the seat section and an underlying sectionare brought about by swinging movements of a back member from. a more orless upright position.

A further object of the present invention is to produce a simple andnovel couch or bed of the davenport type in which there is a backmounted on the couch section that underlies the seat sec- 2' tion, whichback serves as a lever to produce the relative opening and closingmovements of the two sections and also as a mattress supportY for theseat section on which it is mounted.

The various features of novelty whereby our invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but,for a full understanding of our invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in con- .35 nection with the accompanying drawings, Where- Figurel is an end view of a couch constructed in accordance with the presentinvention, only the framework appearing, and the mattresses and pillowsbeing indicated in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on aplaney extending from front to rear, showing the couch in its closedcondition, as in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing thecouch opened, with the mattresses indicated in dott-ed lines; Fig. 4 isa top plan view of the stripped framework, showing the couch closed asin Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 5 is a. view similar to Fig. 4, showing the couchopened, as in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a section,

on a larger scale, on line 6 6 of Fig. 4; Fig. '7 is a side elevation,on the same scale as Fig. 6, showing a fragment of the couch in its opencondition; Fig. 8 is a section on line 8 8 of Fig. 7 Fig. 9 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2, showing only parts of the couch and a modified formof actuating mechanism between the couch back and the seat section; Fig.10 is a section on line Illlil of Fig. 9; and Fig. 11 is a top plan Viewof a couch in which there are two independent sets of opening andclosing mechanisms near the two ends 5 instead of a single centralmechanism, the couch being open and only so much as is necessary for anunderstanding of the said mechanism being shown; and Fig. 12 is asection on line I 2-I2 0f Fig. 11. 10

Referring to Figs. 1 to 8 of the drawings,

I represents the rigid framework of the seat section of a davenportcouch, provided with any suitable mattress-supporting means which, inthe arrangement shown', is indicated diagrammati- 15 cally as a metalfabric 2. The framework I may be supported at the four corners uponcasters 3. The rear side of the seat section is open to permit thissection to serve as a housing for a secondary or under section when thecouch is closed. The 20 second or under section also comprises a metalframework, the same being of va size to pass in and out through the openrear side of the seat section; and comprises a horizontal bottom frame4, two front corner posts 5, 5 and two rear corner 25 posts 6, 6 whichextend upwardly and rearwardly from the bottom frame 4. The upper end ofeach front corner post is connected to the corresponding-inclined rearpost by a track or rail I which may conveniently comprise an angle iron30 one of whose flanges is horizontal, while the other flange extendsupwardly from the horizontal flange. 'Ihe top of the frame of the seatsection is provided with rollers or casters 8 that rest upon the rail 'Iand are adapted to run along 35 the same and be guided thereby as theseat section is moved t0 open or close the couch.

Extending between the upper ends of the inclined rear corner posts orlegs 6 is a rectangular back frame 9. Hinge pins IU extend through the40 upper ends of the posts or legs 6 and the end bars vof the fram-e 9 ashort distance from the lower longitudinal bar I I of the latter frame.The frame 9 thus serves to connect the upper ends of the rear cornerposts or legs together and, when 45 the frame is swung about its hingedaxis, the upper longitudinal bar I2 thereof moves in one direction whilethe lower bar moves in the opposite direction. This swinging movement ofthe back frame is utilized to move the upper or outer Seat 50 sectioninand out in the closing and opening of the couch; the under sectionbeing supported in any suitable way on the floor, so that it will remainstationary while the seat section moves. Thus, the under section may beprovided with 55 feet I3 instead of casters, whereby frictionalresistance is offered to shifting movements of the under section.

The two couch sections are connected by an arrangement of levers andlinks. In the arrangement shown, there are two long arms or levers I4and I5 connected to the forward portion of the under section by avertical hinge pin I6 passing through their overlapped ends. Thisconnection with the under-frame is situated midway between the two endsof the couch; the hinge pin conveniently extending down into or througha block or post I1 mounted upon a crosspiece I3 extending between andsecured to the front and rear members of the frame 4. On the part I8, infront of the support I'I, is an upwardly projecting p-in or stubA I9encased in a rubber sleeve 20, which serves as a cushioning stop tolimit the swinging movements of the levers or arms I4 and I toward eachother. The free ends of the members I4 and I5 are connected to the frontof the seat section frame structure by means of links 2| and 22 that areconsiderably shorter than the members I4 and I5; the connections betweenthe links 2| and 22 being toward the ends of the seat section. Normally,when the couch is closed, the members I4 and I5 extend approximately inthe longitudinal direction, their free ends being somewhat farther backthan the hinge connection. When the couch is opened, the members I4 andI5 swing forwardly, far past center, and the links 2l and 22 come almostinto alignment with them, as shown in Fig. 5. A tension spring 23connects together the members I4 and I5 a short distance from the hingeaxis. When the couch is closed, this spring lies behind the hinge axisand, upon the opening of the couch, the spring moves forward'until itlies well in front of the hinge axis. Consequently-the spring tends tohold the members I4 and I5 in whichever extreme position they may beoccupying. Also, as the spring passes fromone side of the hinge axis tothe other, it begins to cooperate with the forces that are causing themovements of the members I4 and I5, and thus assist in completing suchmovements. Y

Rising from the rear portion of the crosspiece I8 of the frame 4 is aU-shaped bracket 24 to the arms of which are pinned a pair of rockermembers 25 and 26; the connections between the rockers and the bracketbeing rivets 21 or other suitable devices, passing through the rockersmidway between their ends and holding the rockers securely upon thebracket while permitting them to swing in parallel vertical Yplanesextending from front to rear. One arm of the rocker 25 is connected tothe member I4 by a rod or strut 28, while the corresponding end of therocker 26 is connected to the member I5 by a part 29 similar to the part28. The other ends of the rockers are connected to a yoke 30 providedwith a stem 3I that extends rearwardly to the lower bar Il `of the backframe, where it is connected to a bracket 32 by a rivet 33A or otherdevice serving as a hinge pin.

Normally, when the couch is closed, as shown inV Figs; 1, 2 and 4, thetwo rocker membersV 25 and 26 stand with their upper ends thrust forwardand their lower ends, to which the struts or rods 28 and 29 areconnected, lying toward the rear of their hinge `axis 21. When the upperor main portion of the back member is swung forward, the bottomlongitudinalV bar II thereof swings toward the rear, turning the rockermembers in the clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, andcausing the lever members I4 and I5 to be swung forwardly. Such movementof the members I4 and I5 can take place only along with a forwardmovement of the seat section of the couch and,'therefore, the swingingdown of the back forces the seat section forward and brings about theopening of the couch. Conversely, when the back member is swung upagain, it draws the seat section back over the bottom or underlyingsection. It will be seen that as the seat section approaches the limitof its forward movement, the members I4 and I5 close on the cushioningstop which acts as a buffer to slow down the movement of the seatsection and bring it gently to rest. So, also, in closing the couch,suitable buffer means may be provided to absorb the shock of the finalclosing. In the arrangement disclosed, as best shown in Fig. 6, each ofthe rails or tracks 'I has at its. rear end an upwardly projectingcushion 34 against which the corresponding roller 8 on theY seat sectionstrikes at the rearward limit `of movement of the seat section.Furthermore, each of the tracks or rails 1 may have thereon a hump 35over which the corresponding roller 8 must pass before it engages thecushion; these humps being preferably so placed that they hold theirrollers against the cushions and thus serve yieldingly to lock the twocouch sections together.

Not only does the back member of the couch serve as an operating leverfor opening and closing the couch, but it also constitutes the mattresssupporting means for the under section. The end members of the backframe are farther apart than the tracks or rails 'I, so that when'theback is swung down, these end members lie outwardly from the tracks orrails. Suitable supporting elements are provided on the bottom sectionto hold up the front end of the back when the back is in a horizontalposition. In the arrangement shown, the parts are so proportioned thatthe horizontal flanges of the end bars of the back frame rest on top ofthe front legs 5 of the bottom couch section when the back ishorizontal. This construction insures that the back is rmly supported inits horizontal position and, by providing the back frame with a suitablemattress-supporting spring, the under section of the couch serves as acomfortable bed when provided with a mattress in the usual way. As inthe case of the seat section, we have shown the back frame as beingsimply provided withra metal fabric 36 on which the mattress may rest. Y

The parts of the couch, including the back, may be suitably upholstered.We have not attempted to illustrate any upholstering since the presentinvention is concerned only with the skeleton of the couch, or whatmight'be termed the fixtures. It may be noted, however, that the couchmay have two overlying cushions or mattresses, such as indicated indotted lines at A and B in Fig. 1, the upper one of which, at least isloose. There may also be the usual pillows, indicated in dotted lines atC. When Vthe couch is opened, the pillows are temporarily discarded andthe mattress B is laid upon the horizontal back member, as illustratedin Fig. 3.

In order to prevent the back from making'a noise when it is swung downquickly, we prefer to provide it with cushioning pads 3'I, as best shownin Figs. 7 and 8, at the points where it rests. upon the upper ends ofthe legs 5 or other supporting shoulders or seats that may be provided.If the back is slammed down, these cushions will absorb the shocks andmake it unnecessary to depend upon the upholstering to deaden thesounds.

It should also be noted that when the couch is closed and is being usedby persons seated thereon, leaning against the back does not tend topush the seat section forward as is the case in older types of couches;but the greater the backward pressure on the back, the greater will bethe force holding the seat section in its closed position. Consequently,the back may be said to have a third function, in addition to the twoheretofore described, namely, that of utilizing the stresses set up by aperson seated on the couch and leaning against the back, to lock theseat section in its closed position.

In Figs. 9 and 10 we have illustrated a somewhat different actuatingmeans between the back member and the lever members I4 and I5, than,that illustrated in the other figures. In this modified arrangement, thestruts 38 and 39 corre spond to the members 28 and 29 in the other form.These extend back to a slide 4U at the upper end of which are rollers4I- running horizontal, parallel, channel-shaped guides or rails 42arranged at right angles to the front and rear of the couch. The guidesor rails are mounted on parallel bars 53, 43, corresponding tol the barI8 in the first form, extending from the front member of the frame 4 tothe rear member. The slide 4@ is joined to the back member 4d by a strutor connecting rod 45 which is pinned to the frame of the back member, asat 46, above the hinge axis Si! of the back member. Thereu fore, whenthe back is swung down, the slide 40 is pushed forward, causing thecouch to open and, when the back is swung up again, the slide isretracted and the seat section is drawn back into its closed position.In this modified arrangement, the back member lies at a somewhat lowerlevel than in the other form, and therefore, it will ordinarily beprovided with a mattress-supporting spring structure projecting beyondthe rear face, as indicated in dotted lines at 4l. Therefore, when theback member is in its horizontal position, it presents amattress-supporting surface extending up to the proper level.

In Figs. ll and l2 there is illustrated a construction quite similar tothat of Figs. l to 8 except that there are two operating mechanisms, oneat each end of the couch, instead of only a single mechanism. Since thetwo mechanisms at opposite ends of the couch are alike except that oneis right and the other is left, only one need be described in detail.Referring to the mechanism at the lefthand end of Fig. 11, I] and 5I aretwo long bars or links and 52 a short one pinned together end to end,one terminal of the assembly being pinned to an ear 53 on the rear barof the frame 4 and the other terminal being pinned to an ear 54 on therear part of the seat section frame I. When the couch is open, asindicated in Fig. l1, the distance between the ears 53 and 54 is lessthan the overall length of the assembled members 50, 5I and 52, so thatthe latter do not lie in a straight line. A tension spring 55 connectedbetween the member 50 and the rear longitudinal bar of the frame 4,tends to swing the member 50 into parallelism with that bar and thuspull back the seat frame when the latter is in a forward position. Thereis a lever 55 connected at one end to the bar or link 5I at about themiddle of the latter and at the other end to an ear 51 on the adjacentside bar of the frame 4. The lever 56 is positively moved by suitableconnections with the couch back 9. In the arrangement shown, there is apost 58 rising from the rear bar of the frame 4 near the corner of thecouch. A rocking lever 59 is pinned to this post, at a point between itsends, so as to be capable of swinging in a vertical plane forwardly andrearwardly o-f the couch. A link 6l) connects the upper end of therocking lever 59 to the bottom bar I I of the couch back. A connectingrod 5I joins the lower end of the rocking lever 59 to an intermediatepoint on the lever 55.

Assuming the couch to be open, as illustrated in the drawings, theraising of the back frame 9 into its normal, more or less uprightposition, swings the rocker lever 59 in the counter-clockwise directionas viewed in Fig. 12, thereby causing this lever to pull back on theconnecting rod 6I and produce a folding action of the links or bars 5!and 5I; this folding action resulting in drawing back the seat sectionof the couch until it overlies and covers the secondary or under couchsection. To open the couch again, the back is swung forwardly and down,causing the lever 59 to swing in the clockwise direction as viewed inFig. 12 and the link or bar assemblage between the ears 53 and 54 to beunfolded and partially straightened; whereby the seat section is thrustforward and uncovers the underlying section.

The two mechanisms at opposite ends of the couch operate in unison andthereby bring about an equalization in the application of forces to andin the movements of the two ends of the seat section. In other words,the opening and closingmovements of the couch are smooth and even, andthere is no tendency to crampy or bias the seat section in a manner toprevent easy operation or perfect positioning of the couch sectionsduring and at the end of an opening or closing operation.

The pins 62 which connect together the links or bars 5I with thecorresponding links or bars 52, are easily detachable, whereby the twosections of the couch may be disconnected, upon the removal of thesepins; thereby providing two independent single beds. In the arrangementshown, the pins 52 have knobs or heads on their upper ends by which theymay be grasped and lifted out of their working positions when it isdesired to disconnect the two couch sections from each other.

In the first form of the couch, the seat section is provided withrollers 8 that run upon tracks or rails 'I on the under section. In thecouch of Figs. 11 and l2 the rollers are on the under section and thetracks on the seat section. The tracks or rails 53, 63 on the seatsection extend from front to rear in the plane of the top of theframework I. These elements may conveniently be angle irons one of theflanges ofl each of which is horizontal while the other flange extendsdownwardly from the horizontal flange. 'I'he rollers 64 are mounted onthe outer ends of short arms or brackets 65, 65 projecting forwardlyfrom the front side of the frame of the under section; the parts beingso located that the rollers underlie the horizontal flanges of thetracks or rails.. The extreme rear ends of the horizontal flange of eachtrack or rail is bent downwardly, as at 66, to produce a hook-likeconstruction that will cause the forward movementof the seat section tobe arrested when the rollers reach the rear ends of the tracks or rails.When it is desired to disconnect the two sections from each other, therear side of the seat section must be raised slightly, after the pins 62have been pulled, to disengage the hooked ends of the tracks or railsfrom the rollers.

While we have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of our invention, with a few modifications, we do notdesire to be limited to the exact structural'details thus illustratedand described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which comewithin the definitions of our invention constituting the appendedclaims.

We claim:

l. A piece of furniture comprising a seat section and an underlyingsecond section of only slightly lesser height than the seat sectionadapted to be exposed when the seat section is shifted forward, a backmember hinged to and adapted to be swung forward and rest upon saidsecond section, iever means connecting said sections together, andoperating devices connecting said lever means and said back membertogether to cause said seat section to be moved forward when the backsection is swung forwardly and downwardly.

2. A piece of furniture comprising a seat section and an underlyingsecond section of only slightly lesser height than the seat section,guide rails extending from front to rear on said second section, rollerson the rear end of the seat section resting on said guide rails,equalizing lever Vmechanism connecting said sections together, a

movable back member on and adapted to be shifted into a position inwhich it rests on and serves as a mattress supporting member for saidsecond section, and means actuated by said back member to operate saidlever mechanism to move said seat section when the back is moved. 3. Apiece of furniture comprising a seat sec tion and an underlying secondsection adapted to be exposed when the seat section is shifted forward,a back member hinged at its lower end to the rear end of the said secondsection and adapted to be swung from a more or less upright position toa lowered horizontal position in which it rests upon andserves as amattress support for said second section, and connections between saidback member and said seat section to cause the latter to be movedforward when the back member is swung down from the upright to thehorizontal position, said connections including a pair of levers havinga hinge connection between corresponding ends and the front part of saidsecond section midway between the ends of the latter and linksconnecting the other ends of said levers to the seat section near theends of the latter.

4. A piece of furniture comprising a seat section and an underlyingsecond section, guide rails extending from front to rear on said secondsection, rollers on the rear end of the seat section resting on saidguide rails, equalizing lever mechanism connecting said sectionstogether, a back member hinged at its lower end to said second sectionand adapted to be swung forward to rest upon the latter section, meansactuated by said black member to operate said lever mechanism to movesaid seat section when the back is moved, and cushion means to absorbthe shocks incident to stopping the seat section at the limits of itsmovements relative to the second section.

5. A piece of furniture comprising a seat section and an underlyingsecond section, guide rails extending from front to rear on said seatsection, rollers on the front end of the second section engaged withsaid guide rails, equalizing lever mechanism connecting said sectionstogether, a back member hinged at its lower end to said second sectionandradapted to be swung forward and rest upon the latter section, andmeans actuated by said back member to operate said lever mechanism tomove said seat section when the back is moved.

6. A piece of furniture comprising a seat section and an underlyingsecond section of only slightly lesser height than the seat section,guide rails extending from front to rear on one of said sections,rollers on o-ne end of the other of said sections engaged with saidguide rails, equalizing lever mechanism connecting said sectionstogether, a movable back member on and adapted to be shifted into aposition in which it rests on and serves as a mattress supporting memberfor said second section, and means actuated by said back member tooperate said lever mechanism to move said seat section when the back ismoved.

'7. A piece of furniture comprising a seat section and an underlyingsecond section, guide rails extending from front to rear on one ofsaidrsections near the top thereof, rollers on the other of saidsections engaged with said guide rails, equalizing lever mechanismconnecting said sections together, a back member hinged at its lower endto said second section and adapted to be swung forward and rest upon thelatter section, and means actuated by said back member to operate saidlever Vmechanism to mov-e said seat section when the back is moved.

JAMES J. GERVASIO. VICTOR J. BERGSTROM.

